VB Notebook: Indiana, Michigan State

THIS WEEK
The Hawkeyes continue their homestand, welcoming Indiana on Thursday and Michigan State on Sunday. Iowa hosts the Hoosiers in its annual Black Out match, with first serve at 6:00 p.m. (CT). The Hawkeyes’ match with Michigan State is Senior Day. First serve is at 2:00 p.m. (CT). Both matches will be streamed on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

• Both matches will be streamed live on B1G+ (subscription required).
• All of Iowa’s matches are available on the Hawkeye Radio Network (YouTube) with John Evans on the call. Broadcasts are complete with a pre-match show and post-match coverage.
• Live stats for each contest can be found on the volleyball schedule page at hawkeyesports.com.
• Updates and recaps can be found on Iowa Volleyball’s social media platforms.

2024 NEWS

• Sophomore Hannah Whittingstall set career bests in kills (16) and aces (4) against Northwestern on Nov. 10.
• Redshirt freshman Alyssa Worden posted her first career double-double at Penn State on Nov. 1. Worden set career highs in digs (14) and kills (10).
• Senior Michelle Urquhart notched a pair of career highs in October. Urquhart recorded a .471 hitting percentage against Washington on Oct. 4 and tallied 20 kills against Illinois on Oct. 27.
• Freshman Malu Garcia set a career high with 20 kills in Iowa’s match against No. 10 Purdue.
• Senior libero Joy Galles is second in the Big Ten in digs (372) and is seventh in the league in digs per set (3.72).
• The Hawkeyes completed the season sweep of Rutgers, defeating the Scarlet Knights, 3-0, on Oct. 11. It was Iowa’s first sweep of a conference opponent since 2022 (Rutgers).
• Garcia was named B1G Freshman of the Week on Sept. 30 after her performances at Rutgers and Maryland.
• The Hawkeyes are 4-0 in five-set matches, including wins over Maryland and Rutgers.
• Junior setter Claire Ammeraal eclipsed 2,000 career assists in the opening weekend, recording a double-double against Liberty and a triple-double against Providence.
• Ammeraal posted Iowa’s first triple-double (34 assists, 17 digs, 11 kills) since Courtney Buzzerio in 2021. It is the third time a Hawkeye has achieved a triple-double since 2005.

SCOUTING INDIANA

• The Hoosiers are 12-12 on the season and 5-9 in conference, beating conference foes Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, and Rutgers.
• Junior Candela Alonso-Corcelles leads the Hoosiers with 308 kills.
• Senior Camryn Haworth is the main facilitator for Indiana with 837 assists, while leading the team with 42 aces. Those stats are good for sixth and fourth in the conference, respectively.
• Sophomore Ramsey Gary is tied for third in the Big Ten with 365 digs.
• Head coach Steven Aird is in his seventh season with the Hoosiers. Aird led Indiana to 21 wins in 2023, matching a program record.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE

• Michigan State is 9-16 on the season and 2-12 in conference. The Spartans reverse swept No. 16 USC in LA and knocked off Rutgers.
• Senior Nalani Iosia is first in the conference in digs (410) and digs per set (4.46).
• Sophomore Zuzanna Kulig is second in the Big Ten with 127 blocks, while leading the league in solo blocks (23).
• Junior Akasha Anderson leads the Spartans with 295 kills this season.
• Leah Johnson is in her third year as the head coach for the Spartans. She is coming off of a 17-win season, Michigan State’s most since 2019.

SENIOR SUNDAY
Iowa will honor four seniors on Sunday: middle hitter Anna Davis, libero Joy Galles, middle hitter Gracie Gibson and outside hitter Michelle Urquhart. Since joining the Hawkeyes two seasons ago, Davis has appeared in 41 matches, recording 178 kills from the middle. The Castle Rock, Colorado, native has blocked 103 attacks. Galles, using her final year of eligibility as a Hawkeyes, set a career high in digs with 23 at Rutgers on Sept. 26. She also served up four aces and eight assists — both career highs — in matches against Illinois State and Milwaukee, respectively. Gibson also transferred in for her final year of eligibility. She leads the team in hitting percentage through 26 matches. As a fifth-year, Gibson has totaled 179 kills. Urquhart rounds out the group of seniors. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native has drilled 217 kills and is closing in on joining the top 10 in Iowa’s history in service aces. Urquhart set career highs in kills, hitting percentage, attacks and assists this season.

MICKEY’S CAREER CAMPAIGN
Senior Michelle Urquhart has set career highs in recent matchups against Washington and Illinois. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native shattered her previous best with a .471 hitting percentage against the Huskies on Oct. 4. On Oct. 27, Urquhart drilled 20 kills against Illinois to update her career best. Her previous best was 17, which she accomplished three times while at Tulane. She also matched her high for total attacks (52). Earlier this season, Urquhart tallied double-digit kills in six consecutive matches, helping Iowa win three Big Ten contests.

THE FRESHMAN PHENOM
Outside hitter Malu Garcia kicked off league play with impressive performances at Rutgers and Maryland and was named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Week on Sept. 30. The freshman from Hilo, Hawaii, tallied 28 kills and 14 blocks in Iowa’s east coast sweep. Garcia matched a career high with 17 kills in the conference opener at Rutgers, while filling the stat sheet with nine blocks and eight digs. She finished the weekend with 11 kills and five blocks in Iowa’s five-set win at Maryland. Garcia is Iowa’s first Big Ten Freshman of the Week since Brie Orr earned the honor in September of 2017. It was Iowa’s first weekly conference recognition since Courtney Buzzerio was the Big Ten Player of the Week in the spring of 2021. Since then, Garcia has updated her career high, notching 20 kills in Iowa’s match against No. 10 Purdue.

HAWKEYE TRANSFERS

• Joy Galles comes to Iowa as a graduate transfer from the University of Arizona. Galles appeared in 52 matches as a Wildcat, tallying 180 digs and 57 assists in 2023.
• Kenya Prescott joins the Hawkeyes as a transfer from DMACC. She holds the career school records for digs (1,561) and digs per set (5.80) at DMACC. In two seasons, Prescott played in 76 matches and averaged 5.80 digs per set.
• Claire Ammeraal transfers in from Central Michigan, where she played in 63 matches. The junior setter had over 1,000 assists as a sophomore and registered 168 kills in 2023. She has surpassed 2,000 career assists since joining the Hawkeyes.
• Hannah Whittingstall arrives in Iowa City after spending her freshman year at SMU. Whittingstall put on a show against Houston in 2023, setting career highs in kills (9) and total attacks (22). The sophomore hit .583% against Baylor a season ago.
• Gracie Gibson is a graduate transfer from Lafayette College, appearing in matches in all four seasons as a Leopard. Entering the season, the veteran had played in 79 matches and averaged 1.71 kills per set in her career.

UP NEXT
Iowa hosts No. 2 Nebraska in its regular season home finale at 6:00 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, November 20, at Xtream Arena. The match is sold out. The Hawkeyes hit the road for their lone meeting with No. 16 Minnesota on Saturday, November 23. The start time in Minneapolis will be announced at a later date.